Subsidy for three special collections: Boekenoogen, De Jong and Snouck Hurgronje
- 20 December 2008
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- The Leiden University Library has been granted a subsidy to conserve three special collections and to make these digitally accessible. This subsidy has been granted by Metamorfoze, this is a Dutch programme for conserving paper heritage. The subsidy has been awarded to the literary collections Boekenoogen and De Jong, and to the correspondence contained in the Snouck Hurgronje collection.
- Digital access
- The subsidy will be used in 2008-2009 to conserve the three valuable collections and make them digitally accessible. The images and descriptions of the objects in these collections will be added to Digital Special Collections. It will then be possible, for the first time, to search through and study these collections digitally, using internet access.
- The three collections
- The Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje collection (1857-1936) is of great international importance. Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje was the Netherlands' most prominent orientalist. This collection consists of a very extensive number of printed works, oriental manuscripts, vanity documents, photographs and early sound-recordings. The subsidy is restricted to the correspondence contained in the collection. Next year additional project proposals, concerning the remaining material, will be submitted to Metamorfoze.
The Boekenoogen collection contains approximately 500 books, dating from the 17th until the 19th century, on folklore, fairy tales, folk tales and romances of chivalry. The collection was purchased in 1930 by the Maatschappij voor Nederlandse Letterkunde from the estate of G.J. Boekenoogen (1868-1930).
The De Jong collection consists of works that were printed illegally during the German occupation. Dirk de Jong collected approximately a thousand printed works, magazines, illustrated and non-illustrated broadsheets and curiosa. The collection was acquired in 1970 by the Society for Dutch Literature.
